Divisi
When to plant Tobacco in City of Cape Town
Western Cape, South Africa
Known here as ugwayi · tabak
Tobacco is a tall, broad-leaved plant in the same family as tomato and potato, grown not for food but for its leaves, which are dried and cured, then sold by weight and grade.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 22 Jul 2027 – 11 Aug 2027 opens in 42 weeks | 18 Sep 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 0.8 t/ha | about 3.4 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 20 Oct 2027 to 9 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 120–242 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 40% | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 22 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for City of Cape Town is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 11 Aug 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in City of Cape Town
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For tobacco in City of Cape Town, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2027 season in City of Cape Town
| When the rains are expected | April 2027 to October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 499 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 499 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 67% of this area. |
| 67% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 203 growing days · about 600 mm · April to October |
|---|---|
| 14% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 167 growing days · about 500 mm · April to September |
| 12% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 215 growing days · about 640 mm · March to November |
| 7% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 206 growing days · about 540 mm · April to October |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 60% of yield here.
What tobacco needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 120 cm between rows, 55 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow tobacco in City of Cape Town
| Planting material | About 16,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 30 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 48 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 120–242 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a tobacco crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Tobacco with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes City of Cape Town as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Tobacco in nearby districts
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will tobacco grow well in City of Cape Town?
City of Cape Town rates as moderate for tobacco.
When should I plant tobacco in City of Cape Town?
Typically 22 Jul 2027 to 11 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across City of Cape Town, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
